Through Thick and Thin
by Shana Heartfilia
Summary: Natsu was grinning madly and said, "Don't worry Lucy! We can meet here every night, okay?" Lucy felt herself smile before she replied, "Of course!" She embraced him one last time before taking off towards the woods. Now she would have something to look forward to. Little did Lucy know it would be seven years before they saw each other again.
1. Meeting Under the Moonlight

***Through Thick & Thin***

Lucy sat with her head lowered and her arms wrapped around her knees, holding them close to her chest. Her rosy cheeks were stained from the tears that continued to fall.

Her father, head of the Heartfilia Empire, had recently finished unleashing his rage upon the poor child. Lucy had innocently asked permission to roam the town after she finished her daily lessons that bright Saturday afternoon only to find her father's hand making contact with her delicate face. She fell backwards, her hand cupping her bruised jaw; fear shown in her bright, chocolate eyes.

"Leave me Lucy! Can you not see I am trying to sort through these papers? Those damn Dragneel bastards are destroying more of my territory. I have no time for foolish children such as you! Now leave me." Lucy stood and bowed briefly before immediately running for the door, tears falling freely now.

Lucy was from the wealthy and prestigious Heartfilia family. Unfortunately, a rival kingdom was causing troubles for her father so she was receiving harsher chastisement than usual. The head of the Dragneel family, Igneel, had recently sent forces to eliminate a section of the Heartfilia kingdom.

Lucy knew neither what caused the feud between the two powerful families, nor did she care. She merely wished it would stop so she could enjoy what remained of her childhood.

After her father reprimanded her, Lucy decided she would break the rules and flee from her father's sight. She ran to her room and changed out of her frilly dress into something more appropriate for what she was about to do.

Lucy opened her closet doors and walked inside, looking for the perfect article of clothing. She had to walk to the very back and search underneath miles of dresses and other extravagant garments until she finally found what she was looking for; her late mother's jacket.

_I will become a great woman like you mother, I promise. _Lucy thought as she draped the jacket over her delicate shoulders. With a determined look plastered to her pale face, Lucy walked out to her large balcony and gazed over the edge. She observed guards as they made their way patrolling the Heartfilia's personal estate that overlooked the rest of their territory.

Lucy would have a slim chance of going unseen, but this was something she needed to do. Staying here was suffocating and would drive her to madness. She merely needed some time to be alone and think.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy started making her descent, grasping onto sturdy vines that grew alongside the wall. Landing silently, she saw the guards were switching out the patrol so it was now or never. Lucy made a mad dash for the front gate and did not stop until she was clear of the Heartfilia estate.

Laughing silently, Lucy kept walking forward. She was not entirely sure where she wanted to go, but something inside of her made her continue in the current direction she was going.

Soon Lucy found herself surrounded by trees and darkness. Holding her arms tightly against her chest, Lucy began picking up her pace until she was practically sprinting through the forest. Lucy had never felt so alive, so free. Out here there were no rules or walls to enclose her.

Giggling to herself, Lucy pushed through a think overgrown bush and tumbled forward into a clearing. Her chocolate eyes widened and she brought her tiny hand to cover her mouth. Lucy had stumbled upon the most beautiful meadow she had ever seen in her entire life.

A small, tranquil waterfall drizzled into a crystal clear pond surrounded by cattails that swayed in the wind. Gorgeous wild flowers covered every inch of the meadow and gave off a calming aroma. The moon and stars lit up the meadow with such a welcoming light that Lucy couldn't help but smile. One word formed in her mind; _home._

Lucy took a cautious step forward at first, and then she let out a hearty laugh. She kicked off her boots and wiggled her toes in the soft grass. She raised her head into the air, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Lucy practically jumped out of her skin when a voice called out behind her.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing in _my_ meadow?" Lucy spun around and was nose to nose with a pink haired boy who wore a stubborn expression on his adolescent face. He looked to be around ten, maybe slightly older and a scaly white scarf was draped around his neck. "Ah!" Lucy shrieked before she fell backwards.

"You're kinda weird, aren't you?" the unknown boy inquired. "I'm not weird, you just startled me! And this is not _your_ meadow! You couldn't possibly own something this perfect!" Lucy said and stuck her tongue out. "Why you!" The boy then proceeded to chase Lucy through the meadow while she laughed and screamed.

After a while, both children fell over from exhaustion and just reclined next to each other, gazing at the bright stars shining overhead. "I'm Lucy by the way." Lucy said in between giggles. "I'm Natsu!" the pink haired boy grinned widely. "I guess you're really not _that_ strange. I like you!" Natsu decided. "Thanks, I guess?" Lucy closed her eyes and sighed.

This was one of the best nights of her life; she hadn't had this much fun since before her mother died. "Hey I know! Why don't we share this meadow? No one else is welcome here 'cept you and me, okay?" Lucy opened her eyes to gaze at Natsu. Her cheeks were dusted with a light shade of pink. "I'd like that Natsu." She smiled and tackled him in a tight embrace. "Let's always be friends!"

Natsu laughed and called her a 'weirdo' which caused the two to begin chasing each other once again, only this time it was Lucy who was doing the chasing. "Come back here this instant Natsu!" Lucy called. She wore an angry expression on her face, but on the inside she was laughing and smiling. She never wanted to go back to her solitary life of lessons and punishments. When she was laughing with Natsu, Lucy felt alive.

Natsu ran at full speed at called out, "Cannonball!" before he jumped into the crystal clear waters of the small pond nearby. Lucy laughed and jumped in after him. They continued playing like this for hours until the sun began to rise off in the distance.

Lucy cursed under her breath, something she would have been scolded for if she was in her father's presence. "I need to get back or father will be angry." Lucy bit her lower lip and gazed off in the direction of her estate.

She turned her attention back to Natsu who lowered his eyes. _He looks a little sad..._ Lucy tilted her head to the side and blinked. The next second Natsu was grinning madly and said, "Don't worry Lucy! We can meet here every night, okay?"

Lucy felt herself smile before she replied, "Of course!" She embraced him one last time before taking off towards the woods. Now she would have something to look forward too.

Little did they know it would be seven years before they saw each other again.


	2. Tainted Memories

**Hello everyone! I just wanted to say thank you to ixburnout, KaUiA, and Louricam The Manga Freak for reviewing ;3 I've had this idea for a while so I'm glad I finally get to do something with it. Also, it's summer so I should be able to write more now! EXAMS ARE OVER! HELL YEAH! ^_^ anyway, I wrote chapter one and two together, that's why I'm uploading again xD**

Lucy cursed under her breath. A loud explosion could be heard throughout the entire Heartfilia kingdom. Seven years had passed since the night she met Natsu. In those seven years, a full on war between the Heartfilia's and the Dragneel's broke out. Lucy's educational lessons were put on hold while she learned self defense and battle strategies instead. She now had soldiers awaiting her orders.

"Loke, fetch me my swords and prepare yourself! Father has ordered me to defend what's left of the estate. Hurry!" Lucy yelled to her right hand man. "Yes Lady Lucy!" Loke saluted her before running off to fulfill her requests. Lucy continued shouting orders while she dressed herself for battle.

Lucy wore a short skirt made of sturdy leather that was held up by a black belt. Black thigh high socks surrounded by metal boots encased her muscular legs. The majority of her stomach was visible, only her chest was covered in metal plated armor. Lucy attached bulky metal armor to her delicate shoulders and a blue and black cape flowed down her back. Her muscular arms were protected with golden gloves with sharp edges for hand to hand combat.

A long chain necklace with a golden cross pendant can be seen around her neck. Finally, Lucy walked over to a table a grabbed a helmet to protect her head. Small wings were on the side and Lucy's chocolate eyes were still visible.

Lucy heard Loke approaching with her twin swords and her poison-tipped dagger. "For you, Milady." Loke bowed slightly while presenting her with the deadly weapons. "Thank you Loke." Lucy sheathed the dagger and placed it on the belt around her thin waist. Next, she took the dual blades, which were heavy for even Loke to carry, and slid them into their sheaths on her back.

"Ready yourselves men! It is time we teach those Dragneel's a lesson they won't soon forget!" she thrust her fist into the air and shouts rang through the deserted halls.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Prepare another explosion! This is the day we finish those lowly Heartfilia bastards once and for all!" Natsu shouted to the soldiers he commanded. Similarly to Lucy, Natsu was now in control of the Dragneel army that was wrecking havoc upon the once glamorous Heartfilia estate.

Natsu wore red pants surrounded by heavily plated metal boots and leg armor. His chest was protected with magnificent armor that resembled the face of a dragon. Natsu's lean shoulders had thick metal surrounding them; from behind it gave the illusion of dragon wings. Finally, his arms had spiked metal surrounding them in case he needed to fight someone up close and personal. His precious dragon scale scarf was tucked safely away beneath his heavy armor.

Natsu hated this damn war that had taken over his father's heart more than anything in the world. He wished he could go back to the time he spent with the little blonde girl he met so many years ago. He hated having to control the army and he hated being in this situation; however, he had to follow his father's orders. Natsu's grip tightened on his favorite battle weapon, a thick spear with the ability to stay ablaze without melting.

He let out a sigh before finally calling out, "Alright, light her up!" At his command, another giant explosion blew a huge chuck of wall away revealing the inside of the broken castle.

Then Natsu heard something; a female's voice. He strained he hear when suddenly shouts erupted from the inside of the castle. _Looks like the Heartfilia's _do _have some fight in them, eh? _Natsu smirked and shouted orders. All hell broke loose at this point; arrows were flying, swords were drawn, blood was shed.

Natsu grabbed his helmet (which of course looked like the head of a dragon) and began to fight. He truly was a force to be reckoned with; warrior after warrior fell before his fearsome spear.

"Anyone else?" Natsu shouted, overly confident. "Don't sound so cocky, bastard." Natsu turned around and faced a woman with two swords in her hands. She was standing in a position that made her look like a cat getting ready to pounce.

"Hah, a girl? Don't think I'll go easy on you." The woman simply snorted and replied, "Don't underestimate me boy." She charged straight at Natsu. He barely had enough time to block before she was on him. Taken slightly off guard, Natsu cursed under his breath.

The woman kicked Natsu off of his feet and he landed hard; unfortunately for her, Natsu grabbed hold on the woman's hand. She landed with an 'eep!' on top of him. "Bastard, release me at once!" Natsu chuckled but was surprised when he felt a sharp pain go through the side of his face.

"Damn you punch hard!" Both were on back on their feet now. Natsu deflected her swords with his spear and used the fire from his weapon to put some space between the two of them. The woman once again charged forward, only this time Natsu grabbed hold of the helmet protecting her head. He heard a hiss and felt something tugging on his head as well.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. As he removed the helmet from the woman warrior's face, he noticed something; her eyes were the same color as Lucy's. Natsu's eyes widened as he saw the golden blonde locks fall from the helmet and rest on the woman's shoulders. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Natsu took in a shaky breath before asking, "Lucy, is that you?"

X-X-X-X-X-X

Lucy felt her helmet being ripped away from her face, but she didn't care. She was too busy staring at the face of the boy she was previously fighting. She too had ripped the head armor away to reveal her opponent. The first thing that struck her was his dark onyx eyes that were surrounded by rose colored hair. She remembered those eyes from somewhere. Suddenly the night at the meadow came rushing into her mind.

_Natsu…? _Lucy was too stunned to say anything. She barely heard him ask, "Lucy, is that you?" Now she knew it was indeed Natsu. Lucy lowered her swords and let his helmet drop to the ground.

"You… you were a Dragneel? I don't believe it." Lucy wore a pained expression on her face. _How could he do this? I thought we would always be friends, now he's trying to kill me? What the hell! _Lucy was beyond hurt; she felt incredibly stupid for treasuring her memories from the meadow.

"Lucy, I didn't know! I swear I—" "Save it! I have no interest in your excuses! You are an enemy now!" Lucy thrust her sword at Natsu once again. "Stop Lucy!" Natsu had no interest in fighting her. He blocked her strong attack before shouting out to his comrades, "Men, retreat! We'll save this battle for another day! Move it!" With that, Natsu pushed against Lucy's swords as hard as he could, sending her flying backwards. This gave him just enough time to escape. _Lucy, I'm sorry. Please wait for me. I'll make this right._

"Ugh! I will never forgive you Natsu Dragneel! Do you hear me! Never!" Lucy felt a single tear run down the side of her bloodied face. The memory she once held so close to her heart now seemed so far away from her reach.

**Tada! There is chapter two! What to expect next chapter: Natsu and Lucy meet at the meadow once again? *gasp* :D Please review, I'm not sure if I should continue this story so please voice your opinion! Thanks and I wuv you all :3**


	3. Realization

**Thanks so much for reviewing! I shall continue this epic tale since you all seem to like it! I wrote this at like four in the morning because I had a really good idea and I didn't want to fall asleep and forget sooo yeah…. I apologize for any spelling mistakes and what not. Thanks again! :)**

Lucy threw a book at the mirror in what was left of her once magnificent room. "Damn it all! Why is he a Dragneel?" Lucy threw her hands up in exasperation.

Her favorite maid was listening quietly to her mistress rant about things she didn't understand.

Finally she spoke up saying, "Princess, please calm yourself. You're father will become cross if he hears the foul language escaping those pretty little lips of yours."

Lucy sighed and sat down rather roughly onto her bed. "I know. I'm sorry Virgo. I didn't mean to let my emotions get the best of me. Forgive me."

Virgo stood abruptly and shook her head saying, "No princess! It was my fault for saying anything. Please, feel free to punish me by any means you see fit!"

Lucy felt her sweat drop and she let out an awkward laugh. "That won't be necessary Virgo, but would you mind giving me some alone time? I need to clear my head."

Virgo easily complied and left without another word. A determined look flashed across Lucy's breathtaking face.

She had made her mind up; tonight she would travel to the meadow where she first saw Natsu. She needed closure of some kind, and this seemed like a decent way of going about achieving it.

Without further delay, Lucy jogged to her balcony like she did so many years ago and leapt over the side of the railing, landing lightly on her feet. She then sprinted in the direction of the little meadow she held so close to her heart.

Lucy had gone over the path at least a thousand times in her head, so she knew the way by heart. As she ran, Lucy let her fingertips gently brush the leaves of the trees surrounding her. Lucy felt so at home here.

Slowly she came to a halt because she recognized the bush that would lead to the meadow. Lucy took a long, uneasy breath before pushing the leaves aside.

Once again, Lucy gasped and covered her mouth with her thin hand. The beauty of the field never ceased to amaze her. A silent tear slid down her glassy skin.

Nothing changed during those seven years she was away training and preparing for war. It seemed like this small piece of land was preserved, lost in time, forever unchanging.

However something did change inside Lucy; she was no longer the naïve child she had been. She looked out at the meadow in a new light. She received the strength she needed to continue on.

Her mind flashed to the face of Natsu, her new enemy. Saying his name and 'enemy' in the same sentence bothered Lucy to no end. She hadn't realized how much she had hoped to see him again.

Though she only spent one night with Natsu seven years ago, she had fallen in love with their friendship.

_Stupid girl..._ Lucy smiled weakly as more tears escaped her eyes. "Such an idiot, making me cry over him…" Lucy lightly brushed her tears away.

"Who's an idiot?" Lucy's eyes became wide. She knew that voice. Lucy's hand hovered over the handle of her dagger as she turned around.

Damn him for seeing her like this! "Why are you here? Are you really that eager to die by my hand?"

Lucy tried her best to glare at him, but the tears in her eyes ruined the image. Natsu held her gaze, but his eyes only showed sadness and regret. _Why did we have to meet under these circumstances? Lucy, do you know how many times I've thought about you? About this meadow? _

Natsu took a careful step forward with his hands raised in the air, showing Lucy he was unarmed. "I have no intention of fighting you Lucy…"

The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine, causing her to curse under her breath. _Why does he have this effect on me?_

"…I only came here to find some peace. I haven't been to this meadow in seven years 'ya know." Natsu flashed a wide grin, his sharp canines brushing his lower lip. Lucy realized she missed seeing that grin.

"I've really missed you Lucy…" Lucy stared at Natsu for a moment; she felt a blush creeping onto her pale face. Natsu was looking down so he didn't see her moment of weakness.

"I'm not your enemy. I didn't know you were a Heartfilia." Natsu continued. He was slowly closing the distance between the two. "I would never hurt you, ever. I swear I never wanted to cause you any pain. Lucy, I am so sorry."

And with that he wrapped his strong arms tightly around Lucy's thin shoulders, her head resting on his chest.

Lucy felt her confidence faltering. She missed him more than she thought she did. Lucy's resolve was crumbling as he held her in his arms. Hesitantly, she wrapped her delicate hands around Natsu's muscular waist.

"I may have kinda sort of missed you a little too…" Lucy mumbled into his well built chest, tightening her grip on his shirt.

Natsu smiled and rested his head on top of Lucy's. He closed his eyes and inhaled Lucy's fragrance. Her hair smelled of a mixture between vanilla and the forest. It relaxed his tense muscles.

They stood in this intimate position for what seemed like eternity. Lucy had her eyes closed and cherished every second in Natsu's arms.

Lucy heard Natsu mumble, "You really are still a weirdo you know." Lucy's eyes narrowed and she made a 'humph' noise before saying, "Way to kill the mood you idiot!" and just like when they were children, Lucy chased Natsu around the meadow laughing and yelling insults at the pink hair teenager.

Lucy couldn't catch Natsu so she decided to come up with a devious plot to trick him. She giggled to herself before she pretended to trip and fall to the ground.

Lucy clutched her ankle and growled in agony. "Oww! Natsu, I think I broke my ankle!"

Fear flashed Natsu's features before he sprinted over to Lucy. "Lucy! Are you hurt? Let me take a lo—whoa!" Lucy tackled Natsu to the ground and laughed freely. She was lying completely on top of Natsu.

She moved her lips over to Natsu's ear and giggled softly before saying, "Tricked you…" He could feel her cool breath against his neck which caused him to shiver slightly.

Natsu snaked his calloused hands around Lucy's small waist and held her closer to him. "You really scared me for a minute there." Lucy rested her head on Natsu's chest.

Natsu and Lucy stayed there for the rest of the night, holding each other tightly in a warm embrace. They shared their feelings about the war and the fear they felt for their parents.

Both came to realize they had feelings for one another that night. _I will end this war; for Lucy. _Natsu tightened his hold on Lucy before kissing the top of her head gently.

The fact they were from bitter feuding families seemed to be a thing of the past. Lucy closed her eyes and thought '_Let father worry about where his precious daughter is. Tonight I am not a Heartfilia; I am just Lucy.' _

Natsu and Lucy fell asleep in each other's arms completely unaware of the battle raging on back at the Heartfilia estate.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Alright you bastards, tonight we finish what my brother could not. Let's tear these pathetic Heartfilia's to shreds!" A tall, muscular man with long black hair and piercings on his face chuckled darkly. Gajeel would not show mercy.

**Oh no it's Gajeel! Yay for cliffhangers! Kinda… Next chapter should have lots of action and maybe you'll find out what happened to cause the feud between the Heartfilia's and the Dragneel's… 'kay bai! :3**


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